Method of making shoes



' Nov. 25, 1941. KI N 2,263,776

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Filed Nov; 1, 1958 Patented Nov. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES FATE F Fi es METHOD OF MAKING: SHOES Raymomlli. Hopkins, Rockl'andj Mass.', as'si'gnor" to United Slice Machinery Corporation; Bor ough of Flemingtong J:, a corporatiorr of New Jersey Application November 1, 1938, Serial No. 238,184-

(Cl. 12-'-142) The present inventionrelates to improvements 7 Claims:

in methods of and machines for manufacturing shoes, and to the shoe resulting from the method, and is herein illustrated with particularreference to the manufacture of shoes, theparts of which are sewn together, although in certain of its aspects, the invention is applicable to methods of shoe manufacture wherein the outsole or other parts are attachedbyfimeans other than'sewing; asfor instance, solelyby cementing.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a strong anddurable shoe of attractive appearance, resembling, a Goodyear welt or turn shoe, but capable ofbeing made of. cheaper materials and without the use of the expensive machines and skilled labor necessary. for the production of Goodyear shoes.

Another object is to construct a shoe, the final shapeof which is based on the outlineof a channel or a lip. on an insole, or in the case of a-turn shoe,.0n a sole, by utilizing the. lasting process of. Goodyear shoe making methods having the upper properly shaped and fitted over a; last,- and preliminarily secured to the-insole or sole, withoutfurther weakening ofthose pbrtions the" section or strength of which-has- -alreadybeen re duce'd'in forming the lip.

Further objects of the inventionare-to provide a novel shoeand an improved shoesewingmachine in which the method of theinvention'may be carried out.

The manufacture of a shoe in accordance with theseobjects includes working the shoe upper into lasted position over the marginal portions of a sole in the case of a turn shoe, or the insolein the case of a welt shoe, the sole or insole having an upstanding rib or lip; securing the marginal portions'of the upper to the lip' by means of pre liminary fastenings and, in order'to do'away with the necessity'of using a Goodyear welt andturn' shoe sewing machine, and to permanently secure the parts of the shoe together, a line of fastenings is inserted outside of the lip of the sole or insole, convenientlyu'sing for this purpose'a shoe sewing machine of the McKay type, which type of machine can readily be maintained in proper adjustment and operated at a high rate of speed by a workman lacking the necessary'high degree of skill and long experience required in a Goodyear operator.

In order to insure the location of" the line of permanent fastenings entirely outside of' the lip of the sole or insole, the operationof the'McKay type sewing machine is directed, as hereinafter lip on the; sole or insole, thus determining the final shape of the shoe inthe same manner as in a Goodyear welt shoe; One advantage of this construction is in a'stronger inseam than when sewed through the baseof, the lip, and in the possibility of using low grade materials withoutappreciably lowering the quality of strengthof the finished shoe.- Another advantage in manufacturing the shoe by theselmethods isthatthelip on-thesole or insolemay be trimmed closerthan heretofore, due to the spacing of the inseam from the lip and, vifdesirable, the preliminary lasting fasteningsmay also be removed without danger of injuring the permanent inseam.

In the use of the methodof the'present invention, a sole or insole of thinner stock may be employed than can: be used. for the construction of a Goodyear welt shoe, andthelip to which the preliminary fastenings are inserted and'by which the permanent line of fastenings is guided. may bef ormed by securing a separate strip of material-to the-marginal portions of. the sole-or insole on by forming; an inclinedcut or channel atan angle to tlie surface of the sole or insolein the usual way.

In. the construction of-a- Goodyear weltor a turn shoe it is usual to form. a channel'before assembling the insole on a last further fromthe edge of thednsole alongzthe-shankthan along the forepart so that when the upperis permanently sewedto-the-base-of the channellip, the shoe will retain its original shape and less strain than heretofore will-be imparted locally to the individual parts of the completed shoe while in use. With the use of themethod of the present invention, the formation of the channel in this way results in the added advantage of astronger inseam which is lessyielding thanlwith an inseam inserted at, the base of the channellip'as inthe Goodyear method.

For the sake of convenience in sewing, rather than cementingrthe outsole, according to a fu'rftherfeature of the invention=,-a; welt, strip may be directed into the seam which connects the up peer and insole so thatthe parts will be joined securely together. Preferably, the inner sewed edge o f-the welt isso positioned that it isrout of con tact with the lipafter attachment to permit trimming the lip without disturbing the welt. The on an ordinary outsole operations following'the completing a Goodyear stitcher, the subsequent procedure employed in welt shoe.

The improved machineembodying the present described; by engagingithe" surface of the iliventioniis. provided witha straight 'hook. n edle, a work supporting horn, a presser-foot acting on the work in the line of the seam, and a channel guide having its entire work engaging portion acting at the inside of the seam line opposite to the outer edge of the insole. This feature of the invention also contemplates the provision of a welt guide arranged to direct the welt strip into the seam with the greater portion of the strip opposite to the channel guide. In order to insure that the channel guide will be retained in contact with the channel lip while guiding the seam, the channel guide is mounted for relative movement on the presser-foot so that when the presser-foot is raised, while feeding the work, the channel guide will not be retracted from the lip, this arrangement of the channel guide being advantageous whether the machine is provided with a welt guide or not.

Other features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a View in front elevation illustrating the relationship of the parts of a shoe with certain parts of a sewing machine embodying features of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the presser-foot and channel guide of the machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of some of the parts shown in Fig. 1, looking from the right; Fig. 4 is a top plan view, on a reduced scale, of a shoe sole as prepared for use in the method of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of one side of a shoe illustrating the positions of the parts on a last, as a preparatory step in the method; Fig. 6 is a similar sectional view of the same shoe after the parts have been permanently secured together and a welt attached; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the same parts showing the relation of an outsole after being cemented in place without the use of a welt; and Fig. 8 is a similar sectional view illustrating the relationship of the parts after the shoe is completed by trimming 01f the lip of the insole including the staples and sewing an outsole to the outer edge of a welt strip arranged as in Fig. 6. i

In the manufacture of a shoe, as illustrated, an insole 6 is provided with a lip 8 either by attaching a separate strip or by cutting a channel 10 about the marginal portion of the insole, which channel is inclined from the surface of the insole outwardly. The insole is then fitted to a last indicated in Fig. 5 at I2, an upper I4 is applied to the last, and worked into overlapping relation with the marginal portion of the insole in' the usual manner. The side lasting operation of the upper may be performed on side lasting machines of commercial design, examples of which are illustrated in U. S. Letters Patent of Goddu No. 1,796,451 of March 17, 1931, and in U. S. Patent No. 2,201,866 of May 21, 1940, granted upon an application for Letters Patent of Lawson Ser. No. 231,750, filed September 26, 1938, preliminary fastening staples l6 being inserted through that portion of the upper margin which is upturned against the lip 8, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The toe and heel seat are then lasted in the manner ordinarily employed in the manufacture of Goodyear welt shoes.

To fasten permanently the overlapping marginal portions of the upper and insole, according to the present invention, the last is re-. moved from the shoe and the parts are sewed with a through-and-through seam IS, the line of which is guided by the inner surface of the lip. The machine for sewing the lasted upper and insole is of the McKay type, such as illustrated and described in the U. S. Letters Patent of Leveque No. 1,885,927, dated November 1, 1932, and of Ashworth No. 1,914,936, dated June 20, 1933, and is provided with a straight hook needle IS, a rotatable work supporting horn 25 a presser-foot 22 acting on the work in line with the seam, and in advance of the point of operation of the needle, and a feed point 24 operating between the presser-foot and the needle.

The usual means for guiding a through-andthrough seam in a machine of this type consists of an edge gage arranged to engage the upper at the angle where it is bent about the edge of the insole. t frequently is diflicult to maintain the angle of the upper against the edge gage, particularly around the shank of the shoe where the angle formed with the insole by the upper is very slight, or where the insole is of light flimsy material. The edge of the shoe may, therefore, slip beneath the edge gage or be held too far from the edge gage by the tension of the upper. In either case, the seam will be improperly located, even to the point of missing the overlapping portions of the insole and upper entirely. Also, with the use of an edge gage variations in thickness of the upper materials caused by the box of the shoe afiect the location of a seam adversely.

To avoid these difliculties, in the machine of the present invention th edge gage has been dispensed with and a channel guide arranged to cooperate with the inside surface of the lip of the insole. Where the lip is formed by a separately attached strip, the guide enters the crevice inside the curvature of the lip which is raised abov the surface of the insole or where the lip is formed by making an inclined cut in the substance of the insole, the guide enters the cut or channel so formed.

The channel guide, indicated at 25, is mounted on the presser-foot 22 which is provided with an opening having a supporting rod 28 secured therein. The rod 28 has a reduced portion, which forms a pivotal axis for the upper end of the channel guide. The lower work-engaging end of the channel guide is formed with guiding surfaces spaced from the seam line and disposed at an acute angle to each other, the apex of which is directed downwardly and to one side towards the point of operation of the needle. The shape of the guiding surfaces, as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, is such that when the inner surface of the lip 8 is pressed against the channel guide, there will be a tendency for the guide to be drawn downwardly into the channel or crevice formed by the lip. When the presserfoot is raised during the operation of the feed point the lower end of th channel guide will be held from movement with the presser-foot and the upper end will pivot on the rod 28. To maintain a positive yielding pressure of the channel guide on the insole, a coil spring 30 surrounds the reduced portion of the rod 28, one end of which is bent over the channel guide and the other end engages a pin 32 mounted in the presser-foot, the spring being held in place by means of a screw 34 threaded into the end of the rod 28. For holding the channel guide in place when the work is removed, the upper end .of the channel guide has a finger 35 arranged to strike the pin 32. The guide is formed between its endsto provide clearance for both the lipofthe insole. as well? as the inner edge of the upper in case the i upper" extendsbeyond the edgeof: the lip.

After; being sewn,- the lipand that; portion of the:- upper; which is turned-:1 upadurih'g. th

.Qfizithe wearer; The locationtof thevseam which joimsathe upper o; the=inscle when; guided-at. a uniform. distance from the lip. of; the; insole. ac- GOIdglIlggtO, theipresen-tl method insures an. ample uniform trimming; area. between the lip and the stitches 0f:'&, througheandethrough seam. As a result, the staples. may;- bewremoyed more easily while trimming and there-will be, 1ess.1iability of injury to the remaining parts of the shoe.

Tfoidirect; a welt-strip 36. into the seam so that an outsole may b secured by stitching to the free outer edge of the welt, as in Fig. 8, rather than solely by cement, the presser-foot 22 is provided with a welt guide 38, the opening of which may be adjusted to the size of the welt by means of a slidably mounted block 40 arranged to be clamped within the opening at the side of the outer welt edge. The lower end of the presser-foot is also formed with a shoulder 42 for guiding the inner edge of the welt to be sewed in contact with the work while the outer edge of the welt is engaged by a flanged block 44 adjustably secured within a slotted extension of the presser-foot. The welt guide is so arranged that the welt strip will be directed towards the point of operation of the needle with the greater portion of the strip which remains free and unattached at the side of the seam line opposite to the channel guide. The presence of the welt, therefore, does not afiect the action of the channel guide, and the position of the welt is sewed uniformly out of contact with the lip by the engagement of the channel guide with the lip. When the welt is attached in this manner, parts of the shoe assume the relations illustrated in Fig. 6, so that the lip and staples may be trimmed without danger of disturbing the stitches. It also has been found that by stitching the welt to the marginal portions of the upper and insole with a through-and-through seam instead of a seam passing through the base of the lip, the use of a narrower welt is permissible without decreasing the width at the free edge of the welt which extends beyond the bulge of the shoe upper after attachment. The shoe is then completed in the manner of an ordinary Goodyear welt shoe by filling the recesses and irregularities along the bottom of the insole and between the lip and the welt with suitable filling material, and securing an outsole 46 by means of an outseam 48 inserted by an outsole stitcher of commercial design.

When forming a lip on the sole by making an inclined out or channel at an angle to the surface of the sole, it is customary in making a Goodyear welt shoe to space the cut unequally from the edge along different parts of the insole. According to the manufacture of shoes by the method herein described, it has also been found desirable. to; cut: the channel; in: this: way with'the liplclosentmtheedge of the solealong the'forepart. oi. the: (shoe, and further; from; the edgealong the shank: of; they shoe, as; indicated in;. Fig;.4;. Whenzthelip of theasoleaisiormed this? way-,,,the-. line: of stitching; will. be guided turther: frornthe:v edge along theshank of the shoe.:. As auresult, the completed shoe, in: appearance, simulates a, Goodyear. welt shoe, but the durability is greater: due to the; stronger inseam: i

. Thesew-ingimachine;hereindisclosed form the subjectematter of. a; divisional. application filed December 2, 1940, Serial 'No..368,194.,

Having thusdescribed the invention, what is claimed is: i

1-. .The improvement i in. making shoes which consists: in assembling anupper and. an insole having 5 an, upstanding lip on a last, working the marginal. portionof. an. upper into. lasted position overlapping:themarginal portionof the insole outside the 1ip, securing; the overlapping marginal portions of. the insole and; upper with preliminary; fastenings and. inserting aline of permanent fastenings. outside the .lip uniting; the overlapping marginal portions of the insole. and upper; and, during; said insertion, engaging. the

lip with a channel guide to space said fastenings accurately with relation to the lip.

22. The improvement in making shoes which consists in assembling an upper and a sole having an upstanding lip on a last, working the marginal portion of the upper into lasted position overlapping the marginal portion of the sole with a portion of the upper margin upturned against the lip, securing the upturned marginal portion of the upper to the lip with preliminary fastenings, and inserting a line of permanent fastenings outside the lip uniting the overlapping marginal portions of the insole and upper, and during said insertion, engaging the lip with a channel guide to space said fastenings accurately with relation to the lip.

3. The improvement in making shoes which consists in assembling an upper and a sole having an upstanding lip on a last, working the marginal portion of the upper into lasted position overlapping the marginal portion of the sole with a portion of the upper margin upturned against the lip, securing the upturned marginal portion of the upper to the lip with preliminary fastening-s, and sewing a seam of through-and-through stitches uniting the overlapping marginal portions of the sole and upper, and engaging the inside of the lip with a channel guide during sewing to space stitches accurately with relation to the lip.

4. The improvement in making shoes which consists in assembling an upper and an insole having a lip on a last, working the marginal portion of the upper into lasted position overlapping the marginal portion of the insole with a portion of the upper margin upturned against the lip, securing the upturned marginal portion of the upper to the lip with preliminary fastenings, sewing a seam of through-and-through stitches uniting the overlapping marginal portions of the insole and upper, and engaging the inside of the lip with achannel guide during formation of the seam to space the seam with relation to the lip, removing the lip and preliminary fastenings and attaching an outsole in contact with the exposed portion of the insole and the overlapping portion of the upper.

5. The improvement in making shoes which consists in assembling an upper and an insole having a lip on a last, working the marginal portion of the upper into lasted position overlapping the marginal portion of the insole with a portion of the upper margin upturned against the lip, securing the upturned marginal portion of the upper to the lip with preliminary fastenings, sewing a seam of through-and-through stitches uniting the overlapping marginal portions of the insole and up-- per, engaging the inside of the lip with a channel guide during formation of the seam to space the seam with relation to the lip, trimming off the edge of the lip and the upturned upper margin including the preliminary fastenings and attaching an outsole.

6. The improvement in making shoes which consists in assembling an upper and a sole having an upstanding lip on a last, working the marginal portion of the upper into lasted position overlapping the marginal portion of the sole with a portion of the upper margin upturned against the lip, securing the upturned marginal portion of the upper to the lip with preliminary fastenings, sewing a through-andthrough seam uniting the overlapping marginal portions of the insole and upper, and engaging ,a channel guide with the inner side of the lip during sewing to space the seam accurately with relation to the lip, and guiding a welt strip into the seam out of contact with the lip along the overlapping marginal portion of the upper.

'7. The improvement in making shoes which consists in'assembling an upper and a sole having an upstanding lip on a last, working the marginal portion of the upper into lasted position overlapping the marginal portion of the sole with a portion of the upper margin upturned against the lip, securing the upturned marginal portion of the upper to the lip with preliminary fastenings, sewing a through-and-through seam uniting the overlapping marginal portions of the insole and upper, and engaging a channel guide with the inner side of the lip during sewing to space the seam accurately with relation to the lip, guiding a welt strip into the seam along the overlapping marginal portion of the upper with one edge of the strip projecting outwardly from the overlapping marginal portion of the insole and the other edge out of contact with the lip of the insole, and sewing an outsole to the projecting edge of the welt strip.

RAYMOND E. HOPKINS. 

